"I think overall both did okay. Neither were great in this setting and neither really wanted to respect the rules they set up," said mralexan on Twitter. Moderator Tom Brokaw seemed to be aggravated when each senator streamed by the agreed upon time limits, and sternly voiced his concerns, with some Twitters responding to the breach with sharp commentary."How do you contain two men like these, McCain's a kiss-ass and Obama wants his message heard?" asked mlyvett, a student at U-Mass.

Some people had strong feelings about Brokaw and his role as moderator. "Brokaw responsibility was to enforce the rules, if anything he underplayed them when he extended extra time," said kylejelley, a student posting her reactions on Twitter. But the other two men on stage were up to their usually tricks; listening attentively to the questions, but ignoring them and hitting their own talking points-Health care, taxes and the Iraq and Afghanistan war.